


Decisions: Korrasami Week 2016

by summerplaylist



Series: Fandom Weeks [2]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: 500 Word Drabbles, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Korrasami Week 2016
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-19
Updated: 2016-09-26
Packaged: 2018-08-16 01:16:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 4,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8081026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/summerplaylist/pseuds/summerplaylist
Summary: If everything in life was a choice, choosing love was the best one Korra ever made.





	1. Domestic Life

Korra always thought love came first. Before being all domestic, anyway. But apparently when she moved to Republic City a few weeks before her freshman year of college, her temporary roommate had other plans.

Her name was Asami Sato, and she was just fabulous. She always made sure Korra remembered to drink enough water before running off to practice her bending, and she always, _always_ made Korra a lovely and wholesome dinner in the evenings.

At first, Korra dismissed it. She was the Avatar, after all! Maybe Asami thought she had to show off to… well, Korra wasn't sure, but it must have been to get on her good side! 

Right?

But after awhile, it was apparent Asami didn't just want to impress the Avatar for the sake of impressing the Avatar. She didn't want to seem motherly but _girlfriendly._

If that was even a thing.

“You're going to live with the Air Acolytes this fall, right?” Asami asked one evening, swiping on some cherry red lipstick. She was about to go out tonight. Was she already dating someone? The thought made Korra feel sick.

“Yeah,” Korra said, breathing out a gust of fire just to feel the burn. “I've told you this, like, a thousand times. Why?”

Asami shrugged. “I don't know. Wouldn't it be nice to stay roommates? It's hard to find a good one in this city. When you called about seeing the notice, I was so excited that you weren't a total creep. And…”

Korra decided it was best for Asami not to elaborate on the _and,_ so she plowed right ahead. “Sure, I can totally stay! I mean, I would love to. I just don't know if Tenzin would be up with that. He's so strict.”

“Maybe I can change his mind.” Asami rubbed her lips together, and Korra thought, _yeah, this girl has some kissable lips._ “I'm a good, dependable girl, Korra. Don't you know that?”

Korra did know that. She really did. But she also knew it was good not to complicate things by kissing your roommate the week before college started. Because then Asami would have to reject her, and then where would Korra be? Asami was the only person her age she knew in the entirety of Republic City.

“Yeah, Asami,” she said, a moment too late. “I'll see what Tenzin has to say. Maybe once I'm a certified airbender. It'd be better to live with you than some stranger anyway; I've heard nightmare stories about college roommates.”

Asami laughed. She swished away from the mirror. Her hair was perfectly curled. And maybe Korra should change her mind about the kissing rule. Maybe it was a good idea to kiss your roommate the week before college began…

“Want to go out with me?” Asami offered. “I can introduce you to some of my friends.”

Korra jumped off the couch so fast she was afraid she pulled a muscle. “Yeah! That sounds awesome! Let's do it!”

Asami laughed. “Then it's a date!”


	2. Gamer Girlfriends

“This is one of my best friends, Bolin,” Asami introduced. She gestured to Bolin's apron, which had the words _Fire Ferrets Game Center_ embroidered proudly on the front. “This is his summer job.”

Korra shook Bolin's hand and groaned internally as he began barraging her with questions about being the Avatar.

“I can't _believe_ Asami's been holding out on me!” Bolin gave her puppy dog eyes. “What's it like to be the Avatar? I'm an earthbender, but it would be _so cool_ if I could bend all four elements.”

“Yeah, it is totally awesome,” Korra agreed. “Well, when you're not being targeted by bad guys, that is.”

Asami laughed, even though Korra hadn't meant to be funny. And she took Korra's hand, leading her over to one of the gaming consoles, even though Bolin was still jabbering on about something.

But Asami's hand was very soft. And Korra thought she wouldn't mind holding it all the time.

“This game is my favorite,” Asami said, inserting a coin into the slot. The screen lit up, and a little turtleduck began chasing down pieces of fruit. Every fruit it ate, the higher the score became.

It must have been hard for Asami to play singlehandedly, but she never let go of Korra's hand.

Bolin popped in on the scene, undeterred by Korra and Asami's hand holding and consensual want to be undisturbed.

“I think every kid's wanted to be the Avatar at least once. When I little I tried to be like _whoosh,_ Avatar State!”

The turtleduck fell into a pond, and the screen rolled the words GAME OVER. Asami groaned.

“Let me try,” Korra offered. She inserted another coin. Asami's hand was beginning to feel sweaty.

Usually, Korra would totally care. She never really liked other people's sweat. But maybe she could make an exception—considering it was _Asami-freaking-Sato._

Bolin continued to talk, but Korra tried to focus on the game, her brows furrowed in concentration. She somewhat admired Bolin's confidence—or was it stupidity? She would have holed herself up and cried by now if they had been treating her this way.

The turtleduck fell into the pond, of course. Out of frustration, Korra twisted the knob so hard that it broke off in her hand.

“Oops,” she muttered. She grinned, holding up the piece of machinery. “My bad.”

Asami burst out into laughter. Bolin didn't look nearly as amused.

“You're going to have to pay for that. My brother will freak out when he sees—”

“Mako will be fine!” Asami assured, even though Korra didn't really think so. She handed the knob off to Bolin apologetically.

An older and leaner version of Bolin walked in from the back. Korra guessed it was Mako by his mean eyes.

Bolin said he would be angry.

“Who's this?” Mako asked, raising his bushy eyebrows.

Asami smirked. “This is my girlfriend, Korra.”

 _“Girlfriend?”_ Korra liked the word so much that she couldn't help but say it again. “Girlfriend! Yeah, let's go with that!”


	3. College

“I feel so disillusioned about everything,” Korra said. “I thought college was going to be awesome. You know, some amazing, wonderful, absolutely _terrifying_ thing. And then it wasn't.”

Asami looked up from her studies, which mostly consisted of a notebook filled with elaborate lecture notes and a textbook covered with very yellow highlighter.

Air Temple Island had become their choice place to hang out, as Tenzin felt less stressed when he knew Korra wasn't running off to do pro-bending matches or something.

Which she did do. On more than one occasion. But Tenzin didn't have to know about _that._

“What did you think it was going to be like?” Asami asked, looking back down at her studies. She didn't want to lose her train of thought—that was sometimes very hard to find. “I think college is pretty straightforward. You learn things, you do homework, all in the hopes you can get a good job in the future.”

Korra hurled her textbook to the floor in frustration, narrowly missing Asami's body outstretched on the floor. It was the _History of Republic City,_ a huge tome that Asami remembered having to go through last year.

She was happy she wasn't a freshman. _That_ was for sure.

“But I already have a job,” Korra said. “I'm the Avatar!”

“But even the Avatar needs education.” Asami sighed, reaching over to save Korra's textbook. She attempted to smooth out the ridiculous amount of wrinkles adorning the pages but failed. “And treat your books right, Korra. They're expensive.”

Korra threw out her hand, creating a weak gust of wind that briefly ruffled Asami's hair. She groaned. “Maybe I'm hopeless! I can't learn airbending. I can't learn about the history of Republic City without feeling the need to gag. What's wrong with me?”

“Maybe you need a night out?” Asami looked down at her studies yet again. If she was going to actually take over her father's company one day, she would have to actually study and not be constantly interrupted by her girlfriend.

But it was really hard to ignore her girlfriend. Especially when her girlfriend was Korra.

“Maybe you're right!” Korra sat up, energy suddenly renewed, pumping her fists in the air. “Let's do it!”

“Hold your horses. I have a huge test tomorrow.” Asami closed her book, however, pushing it aside. “Let's go out in a few hours.”

Korra sighed in defeat, plopping down on her bed all over again. “Alright. Let's just… study. That sounds _so_ great.”

Asami grinned, crawling over to where Korra was laying on the bed. “Or maybe we can… _kiss_ instead of going out? That's a form of studying, isn't it? If we want to get better, we have to practice.”

“Are you trying to say I'm a bad kisser?” Korra puckered her lips regardless, and Asami didn't hesitate. It was always so nice to kiss Korra. Something so lovely and just so _right._

Studying could be done later. Sometimes, you just had to live in the moment.


	4. Moving in Together

Ever since Korra was a little girl, she dreamed of living on her own. Independence sounded _awesome._ But plans often change, and hers changed so much that she no longer dreamed of living on her own.

She dreamed of living with Asami.

Well, they already had lived together. And for quite a while, actually, so maybe Korra was making something unnecessarily romantic—but _still._ The idea of living together was no longer temporary, but something they planned to do _forever._

And that was equal parts terrifying and exciting.

Asami was busy unpacking while Korra was pretending to do the same. She always got so preoccupied while unpacking her things—her memories—that she always forgot to actually put them away.

“I didn't think you would be so sentimental, Korra,” Asami said. Korra didn't know when she had sneaked up behind her, but she honestly didn't mind.

“I guess I'm just full of surprises.” Korra set the picture aside—it was of her as a child, shortly after she had gotten Naga—and tried to focus on the task at hand.

But Asami had other plans. As usual.

She picked up the picture, running her fingers over the beads adorning the frame with a featherlight touch.

“You were so cute,” she cooed. “And Naga, too.”

“I miss her so much, you know?” Korra pouted. “I had to leave Naga behind in the South Pole. She wouldn't like it in the city all the time… She'd go nuts.”

“Maybe we can go visit her, then?” Asami set the picture frame on their secondhand bookshelf, next to various other knickknacks they had brought collectively from home. “And maybe I can meet your parents, too.”

Korra smiled at the thought. She grabbed something else out of her box with renewed vigor, cringing when she noticed that her knickknack of a polarbeardog had its poor nose chipped off. Oops.

While Asami's fragile items had been meticulously wrapped in newspaper before being packed away, Korra had just thrown hers in whatever which way.

“Poor thing!” Asami took the polarbeardog knickknack out of Korra's hand, kissing it on its chipped nose. She then set it on the shelf along with the other things, and Korra felt a surge of love burst within herself. “You have to be more careful.”

Korra smirked. “I know I do. I'm such a mess, aren't I?”

“Not a mess.” Asami darted forward, pecking Korra on the lips. “Never a mess… just a bit lazy sometimes.”

Korra dug something else out of her box. It used to be a snow globe, but it wasn't anymore. The dome was broken and liquid was seeping onto the rest of the box's contents.

But Korra honestly didn't mind. She was suddenly looking forward to unpacking more than ever. It was a way to learn more about Asami—more about each other. By moving in together, they were one step closer to the _forever_ everyone was always going on about.

And Korra could never complain about that.


	5. Space Girlfriends

“Space?”

“Yeah! Like astronauts. We can go see other planets and stuff.”

Asami quirked an eyebrow. She was trying very hard not to laugh, but Korra was obviously in earnest, so she would have to reel in any laughter before it had any chance of spilling out.

Because laughter would probably hurt Korra's feelings, and that was the last thing Asami wanted to do. Hurting other people's feelings was never her thing.

“Space?” Asami attempted, forcing the word out and into the open. Korra nodded her head eagerly. “Korra, you can't be serious. How would we breathe up there?”

Korra drooped like a flower. Her hair, her shoulders, her everything. For a moment, Asami felt a twinge of remorse, but it wasn't for long.

“We can't go to space, Korra. Maybe Bolin's gotten to you with all of his crazy ideas, but that just isn't something that will work.”

“I didn't mean literal space,” Korra said, pouting. Her voice quivered for effect. “I was talking about going to the museum together.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, _oh._ Did you really think I meant to go to space? I am the Avatar, but I'm not quite that magical.”

Asami finally allowed herself to laugh. It took her awhile to catch her breath, Korra brooding the entire time.

“Sorry,” she sputtered. “Let's go to the museum, then. Is it a space exhibit?”

“Totally!” Korra instantly perked up, holding up some colorful pamphlets. “Tenzin told me all about it. And I thought it'd be so cool!'

Asami took one of the pamphlets from Korra, unfolding it and reading over it for details. It seemed nice enough. “Okay, let's go for it. Maybe Bolin and Mako can come, too.”

Korra swallowed Asami in a hug, peppering her face with kisses. “It will be so much fun! A break from boring airbending lessons and homework!”

“Calm down, Korra. We'll go as soon as we can, okay?”

^^^^^^^^

They ended up going to the space exhibit that weekend. Needless to say, Korra adored learning about planets and galaxies, stars glittering in her eyes.

It was just such a good break from everything. College, bending, the weight of other people's expectations. And Mako and Bolin didn't end up coming, saying they were too busy.

Which was nice. Because it meant Asami and Korra had some time alone… just the two of them.

“Do you think there are other Avatars on other planets?” Korra asked later on, sucking on a blue raspberry ice pop. It stained her tongue the same shade of electric blue.

“Maybe,” Asami said. “But that thought is more of a dimension thing than a planet thing.”

“Right.” Korra shrugged. “Well, it'd be weird to live in a world without bending. Hopefully aliens have it, too.”

“So weird.” Asami rolled her eyes. “I mean, it's not like I live without bending every day of my life…”

“You know what I mean. But most of all, do you know what would be weird?”

“What?”

Korra smirked. “A world without you.”


	6. Rainy Sunday

The rain beat down on the roof, thrumming through the library and making Korra's heart beat uncomfortably fast.

While Korra usually liked when it rained, she didn't like it when it rained at the library. Especially when she trying hard to study.

And especially when Asami wasn't there to calm her nerves. She was off in a different section, combing through the biographies for something good to read. While Korra was sitting there. Doing math homework. Alone. And feeling the rain practically pierce her soul.

Korra sighed, her leg jumping up and down. She wished it would steady so she could focus. She had a really important test coming up, and she would have to focus—

Then Asami returned, her long black hair in a messy bun. She had a stack of books, and she slammed them on the table in front of Korra.

She said something, but Korra couldn't hear her over the rain.

“What?” Korra shouted.

“I said, 'Why is the rain so loud in here?'”

“I don't know. Do you?”

More than a few people turned to shush their loud conversation. Ridiculous! Like they could focus with the noise of the rain anyway!

Asami shrugged at the attention, sitting down next to Korra. She cracked open one of the books, dust swirling in the air between them. Korra scrunched up her nose. She hated the smell of old books. Asami, on the other hand, gave the book a good sniff before beginning to actually read it.

Korra turned back to her math homework. Or tried to, anyway, because the rain had finally slowed down and the sound in the library returned to semi-normal.

“How's math coming along?” Asami asked, slapping her book shut. A green ribbon hung out of the book's pages, marking where Asami had stopped reading. The title was _The Untold Story of Toph Beifong: The Life and Times of the World's Greatest Earthbender!_

“Great,” Korra said, chewing the end of her pencil. She stared glumly down at the equations and numbers she had to contend with. “I think I'm finally getting it.”

“It's metal, by the way.”

“Huh?”

“The roof.” Asami gently took the pencil out of Korra's mouth, examining the teeth marks left behind. “The roof is made out of metal—that's why it's so loud. Not to mention, the library's quiet to begin with, so the noise is easier to notice.”

“Maybe someday I'll be able to metalbend like Toph,” Korra said dreamily. “Wouldn’t that be the coolest thing ever?”

The rain picked up again, but it wasn’t too unbearably loud. Asami opened her book to read, Toph's smirking face greeting Korra from the cover. “You probably will learn it. Anything can happen.”

“Right. In the meantime, I need to get crackin' down on these equations.”

Asami grinned. “There isn't a better way to spend a rainy sunday than this, now is there? With your girlfriend, in the library, studying for exams…”

“With the idea of future metalbending lingering in the air…”


	7. Gym Buddies

Korra made the huge mistake of taking an online gym class. For some reason, she totally thought that an online gym class would involve as much exercise as a normal one—just with the freedom of choosing her own schedule.

Nope. Instead it involved a whole lot of reading and little to no exercise. Which was fine, but she’d rather be exercising than learning about _why_ exercising was so great. Besides, she already knew all this stuff!

Right?

Asami was more than happy to help Korra with this dilemma, reading the textbook out loud during the evenings for her. During this time Korra did her usual exercise routine—and she practiced her bending positions. She was coming along with her airbending pretty well, but she still had a whole lot to learn.

(At least, according to Tenzin. Korra thought she was already pretty awesome.)

So Korra was usually a sweaty mess by the time the required reading was read. And because she was so busy with the routine, she didn’t really internalize any of the lesson. Not to mention that Asami’s beautiful voice was mesmerizing and lulled Korra into a trancelike state more often than not.

Asami seemed to pick up on that fact rather quickly. And how couldn’t she? Korra was earning a solid C in the class due to the fact she was routinely bombing the tests, but somehow getting high grades on the assignments. It didn’t take a genius to know she was only getting a C due to Asami’s help.

So the decision was made. And one night, Asami put on some workout clothes and joined Korra without the stuffy old textbook in her hands.

“But what about the reading?” Korra asked, pretending to be opposed to this turn of events. She actually felt rather giddy, seeing Asami’s hair pulled back in a ponytail and with yoga pants on. And with a raspberry pink crop top skimming her belly button.

“You need to read it yourself,” Asami said with a toss of her head. “And besides, don’t I deserve to work out, too?”

Korra imagined Asami all sweaty and worked up. She realized she was breathing rather strangely, like the air was squeezing in and out of her lungs. “Alright. Well, normally I begin by stretching.”

“I’ve been watching you, Korra. I know what you do,” Asami said, reaching down to touch her toes. “And besides, you know I go running every morning. I’m no stranger to working out.”

Korra blushed. Not from embarrassment—but from _something_ else beyond the realm of embarrassment. “You’ve been watching me? Like, while you were reading from the book?”

“Well, I sneaked glances.” Asami smirked. She stood on her tiptoes, stretching up towards the ceiling. Her abs flexed. “Was that okay with you? Or would you prefer me not to watch?”

“Y-yeah. I mean, no! Of course I want you to look!”

“Good. So, how about we’re gym buddies from now on? I deserve a bit of an education, too…” 


	8. Bonus: Soulmate AU

“My best friend loves this stuff!” the shop clerk said. She handed Asami a bottle of lotion. It was gorgeously designed, with delicate clouds over a sky blue background. “If you're going to buy anything for your special someone, it should be _that._ ”

Asami took a tentative sniff. The bottle was labeled _Air_ but it didn't really smell like air. It smelled like dead leaves and decay.

“Maybe something else,” she said kindly, handing the bottle back to the clerk. “My girlfriend's birthday is coming up, and I want her gift to be perfect.”

The girl began tearing through the shelves of the store, probably trying to find a scent that would blow Asami's socks off. But Asami didn't really think they wanted to be blown off today.

“What's your girlfriend's name?” the shop clerk asked, handing another bottle of lotion to Asami. It was promptly labeled _Soulmate._ The bottle was shaped like a heart and light pink in color, all in the hopes to incite romanticism no doubt.

“Her name's Korra,” Asami said, handing the bottle back without smelling it. She had smelled enough lotions and perfumes for one day. “And we came to the mall together, actually. She might be looking for me.”

“Oh. Well, have fun shopping!” The shop clerk set the bottle on the counter, looking down at it sadly. “I hope you find the perfect gift.”

Asami thanked the shop clerk for her time and left without buying anything. As usual. She just wanted to find the best gift for Korra, but nothing ever seemed good enough.

But of course, Korra wasn't looking for her. That was obvious after she had wandered past several shops and still couldn't find her anywhere.

She crossed her arms and sat down on a bench. Wherever Korra was, she better show up _fast_ because Asami did not feel like shopping alone all day.

^^^^^^^^

Korra walked into a shop conspicuously called _Lotions & Potions._ And Korra always loved a good rhyme, so she couldn't help but go in there.

“Hello!” a shop clerk greeted. “How can I help you?”

“Just looking,” Korra said. “Thank you, though.”

Once the shop clerk went off to do other things, Korra began sniffing everything in the shop that could be sniffed. Some of them were terrible, and some weren't so bad…

And then she sniffed _Soulmate._ Oh, and it was lovely. It gave her a warm fluttery feeling with its beautifully sweet scent. It kinda reminded her of melon. Without hesitation, Korra grabbed the largest bottle they had and plopped it on the counter to pay for it.

“Thank you,” the shop clerk said. She bagged it, then handed it to Korra along with the receipt and change. “I just had somebody else in here, actually. I offered her this lotion but she didn't even smell it!”

“Oh, really?” Korra held the package close to her chest. It felt precious, like something she never wanted to leave her side. “She missed out on something great, then, 'cause this lotion is awesome!”

“This is a special one in our collection. At first I thought the customer just wanted something for a friend or family member, but when she said 'girlfriend' I knew this was the one! It's supposed to smell like the person you love.”

Now that Korra thought about it, this lotion _did_ smell a whole lot like Asami. That's why she couldn't place it… something sweet and just _so_ perfect.

“She seemed frustrated, though. I guess her girlfriend's birthday is coming up…”

Suddenly, light bulbs went off in Korra's head. “Oh my goodness! I think Asami was in here!”

“Who? I'm sorry, she didn't say her name…”

“I'm Korra! I'm that girl's girlfriend!” Korra felt giddy. She took out the lotion, giving the shop clerk the bag back. “She's gonna think this is so cool. Thanks for all your help!”

The shop clerk blinked. “Right, no problem! And thanks for buying something!”

Korra whooped as she left the store. She ran all over the mall, even though she knew she shouldn't be running. She only slowed down when she saw one of the metalbending security guards give her a glare.

Then she saw her. _Asami!_ Sitting on a bench and tapping her foot impatiently.

“There you are,” she said, moving to stand up. “Where in the world did you go?”

“I got you something!” Korra said, shoving the bottle of lotion into Asami's hands. “It's called _Soulmate_ and it's supposed to smell like your true love!”

“Oh, I recognize this design. Did you go into that weird store, too? All of their stuff smelled so bad…”

“Not this one,” Korra promised. “Go ahead and give it a whiff!”

Asami unscrewed the cap. She smelled it, and Korra could almost pinpoint the exact moment endorphins flooded her and left her breathless.

“Oooh…” Asami muttered, wavering slightly. Korra reached out to steady her. “Yeah, that's pretty great. What did they put in this thing?”

“Beats me!”

“I should have gotten you this for your birthday.” Asami pouted. “I feel like such a loser. And I still have nothing to get you!”

“Don't worry about it.” Korra kissed Asami on the cheek, breathing in the scent that was hers and hers alone. Even a lotion couldn't match it, no matter what magic dwelt within it…

“Don't worry,” Korra repeated. “A birthday's a birthday. What matters is that we love each other, right?”

“I'll find you something even better than this.” Asami capped the lotion. She ran her fingers over the heart-shaped bottle. “Something even more special…”

Suddenly Korra felt even more _in love._ Asami was so amazing. Everything they had together… the life they had built together… it was amazing.

Korra believed in soulmates, sure, but she also knew that life was what you made of it. Every moment was a decision, no matter how minuscule or seemingly insignificant.

So, yeah. If everything in life was a choice, choosing love was the best one Korra ever made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not quite an AU, but this is what I could come up with! A huge thank you goes to everyone who has enjoyed this work. <3 I appreciate every kudos, comment, bookmark, and hit. I love it all!


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